Friday, March 7, 2008

Two emails in two days regarding the poop! Here goes:The Poopiest Blog - I mean BLOCK in Brooklyn (The Big Orange Spot)

Kensington has gone to the dogsMy days as a high school football player were lackluster. I wasn't left with trophies, accolades or championships. When it was over and the time came for more responsible pursuits, I wondered if I had carried away anything purposeful from those "glory days" on the field, as the Bruce Springsteen song goes. Well, thanks to my life in Kensington, many years later I have come to realize that sports helped prepare me for life. The team's practice routines were full of drills. One exercise called for running through a series of tires or ropes. The trick was to move along by stepping exactly within the tires or between the ropes, without tripping up on anything. "Precision stepping" is a skill also needed by any pedestrian looking to maneuver the sidewalks of Kensington without, let's call it, getting his or her shoes untidy. For the former footballer, it's the tire drill all over again, just without the stopwatch. Some of our neighbors who are dog owners possess a very low character. I would venture to say there's more inconsiderate dog-walking going on in Kensington than there is lobbying going on in Washington. How did allowing one's animal to disgrace the public domain became tolerable, even fashionable? I have witnessed dog owners actually walk away from a "hit and run" in broad daylight with a virtual swagger, as if they were thinking, "Heh, heh, that was a good one." There is no worse disgrace to a neighborhood. I believe this problem warrants strong enforcement and harsh penalties. First offense should incur a costly fee - hundreds of dollars. Second offense ought to incur a month jail time. Nothing short of such a system will make a difference. However, I do not know what can be done, or if authorities are interested to, you'll excuse the pun, step in. Does anyone else feel frustrated about this? Can anyone suggest a plan? Is it me, or is there something seriously wrong with a neighborhood being continuously besieged by canine droppings? I have better ways to put my old football skills to use. -Anonymous